By Sid Saraf, FOXSports.com We’re back! Welcome to Volume IV of Mail-it-in Friday. We’re all fired up and more important, all of YOU are jacked. We’ve got some great emails this week ranging from Peyton Manning to NFL jersey sales. So, let’s not waste any more time. Remember if you want your email featured here, fire off your missives to lacesoutmail@gmail.com. OK, let’s get to work!MANNING? MORE LIKE “FAT-ING,” AMIRITE? Sam Gardner wrote about a CDC study that says Peyton Manning and LeBron James have the most endorsements for energy-dense, nutrient-poor products (i.e. junk food). What’s more, having celebrity athletes endorse unhealthy food and drink sends mixed-messages to kids. In short, Peyton and LeBron are making your kids fat. Sigh, here we go. Kevin wrote,My comments are not directed toward your article as much as they are towards the opinions I read at the bottom of it. I know people are entitled to their opinions, but many of the opinions I read were so skewed in favor of Papa Johns and Peyton Manning—and not the companies and celebrities that hawk unhealthy junk food to our children and contribute to obesity—that I felt the need to balance the scales. So here is what I have to say:Some people argue that parents should take responsibility for overweight/obese children, yet they say nothing about the responsibilities of powerful, wealthy companies like Papa Johns (and celebrities), which could sell ….[MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY MANY WORDS LATER]… donated an undisclosed amount to St. Vincent children's hospital in Indianapolis, which they renamed “Peyton Manning Children Hospital”.
Hey, Tolstoy … you wanna keep it brief next time? Good lord, this is the internet age. Nobody can pay attention for that long. Think pithy! Les wrote,Who to blame are the parents who let their kids eat the junk. Kids get their food at home regardless of the pitchmen and it is their (the parents) to make sure their children have the right foods. Point of order. My parents made sure to keep just healthy food in the house. During lunchtime at school, I was the kid eating an apple while everyone at the table was rocking out with Twinkies, Chocodiles, Ding Dongs, the whole nine yards. Yet, I was still chubby at that age. Trust me, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I somehow found a way to get my hands on junk food. It required some sneaking around, but I got it done. Steve wrote,Quit blaming the “STARS” from making the “BIG BUCKS” and blame the parents for not controlling their “OWN KIDS”. I LOVE “GOOD AND PLENTY” candy but I’m not blaming that on anyone but my taste buds and my lack of will power. Come on folks lets own up to our own short comings and quit trying to blame everyone else. BE RESPONSIBLE!! You like Good and Plenty?
I’m more of a Jujyfruits man. That’s not weird, right? David wrote,RE: Peyton and Papa JohnParents who need to blame Peyton because their kids eat to much pizza should point the finger at themselves -- No control over kids!! Hold on just a second there. Have you ever tried Papa John’s? That garlic sauce is to die for. I know that has nothing to do with your email, but just sayin.’ WHAT’S IN A NAME? Well, when it comes to the Washington Redskins, a lot. Team owner Dan Snyder wrote a letter to his team’s fans, saying the Redskins name is a “badge of honor.” Mmmmkay. What do you readers think? Is it time for a name change? Ivis wrote,I agree with Dan Snyder. The Washington Redskins should not change the name of their team. Think about it. When you have a melting pot of diverse ethnic groups proudly willing to call themselves “Redskins.”What could be derogatory or mean spirited about that? Do the words “Hail to the Redskins” sound like racial insensitivity? Not to me. In this world of political correctness we are sometimes best served by leaving things alone. GO ‘SKINS! Umm, I usually have a pretty good radar for sarcasm. But … I’m not sure if you’re being serious here or not. “Willing to call themselves Redskins?” You know what, I’m assuming you’re sarcastic. Just for my own sanity. Chet wrote,What they need is a group of folks that are immune to opinion, name -calling, and meaningful activity. Since there is just such a group inside the 'beltway', I'm nominating all occupants of House, Senate and White House be used as the models for the new name - the D.C Asshats.They would wear flesh-colored helmets with a brown stripe from front to back.Just don't expect them to actually show up and play. Chet, take a bow. You’re just won the Golf Clap of the Week Award!
Bobby wrote,Stand Firm! The next thing they will want to change is the name off the Cowboys, Saints, Vikings, Buccaneers, Angels and so on. Don’t give in to the Liberals that are pushing this agenda, and our president should be more concerned about our country than what the name of the Washington Redskins name should be!! None of those names are offensive! My lord, am I missing something here? This has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. I need a drink!
Brandon wrote,What about teams such as the Vikings, should all Nordic races have this name changed? Texans? Chiefs? Raiders? Cowboys? Saints? Buccaneers? and that is just football, how about the Yankees? was that not an offensive term for the North before during and after the civil war? Indians? Twins? Mariners? Rangers? Braves? Pirates? Padres? Celtics? Should all Irish view this as offensive? Warriors? how are these any different or more or less offensive than any other? They are all nicknames, slang, or other terms to describe a group or race of people by either their race, heritage or actions and there have been Millions of people who have rallied and taken pride in all these names for years if not decades. My family hails from India and if there was a team named …. actually, nevermind. I’m not playing this game. This is stupid. Jane wrote,I’m a member of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and love watching NFL football, I feel that the native Americans are being honored by teams like the Washington Redskins who have named their teams after the attributes of the true native Indians.My son and several other natives play football for our school who just happens to be “The El Reno Indians” our school also had the same situation with some people wanting to change the name (I wasn’t one of them) but it hasn’t happened yet and I hope like the NFL it never does. That’s cool. I’m not telling you how to feel, but I do know that many Native Americans are offended by the name “Redskins.” Look, at the end of the day, it’s Dan Snyder’s team and this is a free country. If he doesn’t want to change the name, he can’t be forced to do so. However, I do feel that if the public outcry keeps growing, Snyder would be smart to consider it and possibly move forward with a different moniker. Let’s move on! THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF “CAT’S IN THE CRADLE” Andy Nesbitt shared the story of the man who was brought to tears when his son gave him Bengals tickets as a gift. We loved this story … and apparently, all of you dear readers REALLY did. What follows is just a small sampling of the warm feelings. Travis wrote,I loved reading your story about the son who bought tickets for his dad to finally go see the Bengals play. It reminds of the time my brother and sister went in to take my dad to see his first Dallas Cowboys game. It was going to be the last year that the Cowboys were going to be playing at Texas Stadium. It turned out to be a great time, in all we took 13 people with us to share in the excitement for my dad. The only part that was missing was one brother, who did not make the trip, because he died in a car accident a year earlier. Thanks for letting me relish in some old memories. Travis, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’d like to wish all the best to you and your family. Sylvia wrote,Thank you for the share. You’re welcome!
Bob wrote,Got to make sure there is a follow up on how the Bengals game goes with the Dad getting tix. Nice story. Good call. We’ll definitely keep an eye out for any updates when he goes to the game on Oct. 27. Vivian and Don wrote,What a wonderful son. I know the dad will never forget it. Wow, OK. We’ve got a lovefest going on here. Chase wrote,wonderful gift. enjoy every moment Really? Nobody has anything negative to say? Mary wrote,Why don’t your writers use spellcheck? Finally! SOME OFF-COLOR TALK The NFL goes all-out for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Players are decked out in pink shoes, wipe their hands with pink towels and up until last Sunday, referees threw pink flags. Well, that caused confusion, problems and an eventual decision by the league to bring back the yellow flags. Did that settle issue? Apparently not. Steve wrote,Why not go with a pink and yellow striped penalty flag. With the two colors you get the best of both worlds. Pink and yellow combined? Isn’t that a weird color combination? I’m no Timothy Gunn, but that just screams fashion faux pas. I’d feel stupid having such an eyesore sticking out of my pocket all afternoon. Anthony wrote,Why not make them half pink and half yellow? Did you and Steve talk about this before or something? I’m telling you it would be ugly. Trust me. Steve wrote,Hi, I have a simple solution for both Breast Cancer Awareness and keeping the public from being confused. Make the Ref's flag Ping with 1 inch yellow stripes or Yellow with 1 inch Pink stripes. Should be easily enough to tell the difference... Not going to lie, I’m pretty freaked out right now. I’m officially entered the Pink and Yellow Twilight Zone.
27addy wrote,I contacted a prostate cancer awareness center about showing blue ribbons, blue gloves, blue sox, etc. during September, which is prostate awareness month. They told me the NFL told them to forget about that. There is no money in pushing men’s health issues. They do the pink thing to attract women to the advertising. Period! I hear you about prostate health. It’s an important issue. But, are you actually jealous of Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
Lorraine wrote,OK!!! PINK FLAGS OUT...PINK SNEAKERS IN?? Right? Just when I thought I had this year’s fashion trends down pat. I can’t keep up with this stuff? Hey, are long-sleeve shirts under short-sleeve shirts back? That’s a good look for me. Really accentuates my man boobs strong pecs. Jerry wrote,Lets do some all humanity acancer awareness month. This thing of football players wearing pink shoes is beyond stupid. Did you know that more men die of prostate cancer than women die of breast cancer? Sorry, Jerry. I already used the Sleepy Hollow GIF to roll my eyes at the guy from two emails ago. RANDOM MUSINGS Mike Ditka said his biggest mistake was not running against Barack Obama for an Illinois senate seat back in 2004. John wrote,I think Mike was a good rough and tumble player and coach for football however, it's hard to think of him as an intelligent politician for all the people of a state, let alone a country. Calm reasonable, intellectual approaches don't seem to make the grade for the coach. At the time when the world thought we were in the most economical trouble, most people agree on a thinker to get us out of it. If not Obama, even Romney would have been up to it more than Ditka at the top job. It's hard to think the state of Illinois would have gone for it at the state level even.Sorry coach, just one opinion Ouch. Don’t come after me, coach. John is the one who said it. Greg wrote,Does anyone want to buy my Tebow Jersey (Denver # 15)--First $50 takes!! Only $50? If you take that jersey to your local church, you can probably start the bidding at $150 and go from there. Jeana wrote (about Colin Kaepernick being the top-selling jersey),Let’s be real here. The only reason Kaepernick is #1 is because women are buying his jersey’s. It would be like me sporting around an Eric Decker jersey…….HELLO! At least Manning got #2 by his talent alone. Are you trying to imply that Peyton Manning isn’t handsome? I’m outta here:
Alrighty, I think we’ve done enough damage for one week. See you next time!
